What do you think?
Rate this book
Peter Boutrup #2
De døde sjæles nat
On All Hallows' Eve, ex-convict Peter Boutrup is visiting his best friend's grave when her estranged mother appears. Her son, Magnus, has disappeared, and she begs Peter to look for him.
The next day a young nun is pulled out of the moat at the convent in Djursland. She has been garrotted and Peter, who works there as a carpenter, was the last person to see her alive. Meanwhile, diver Kir R�jel finds an old box resting on the seabed. Inside are human bones. They are sixty years old, but the victim had also been garrotted.
While Peter is looking for Magnus, Detective Mark Bille Hansen is assigned to the case. He is determined to link the bones in the box with the girl in the moat - but the hunt for the truth leads both he and Peter down a path so dark, they fear they may never return.
The next day a young nun is pulled out of the moat at the convent in Djursland. She has been garrotted and Peter, who works there as a carpenter, was the last person to see her alive. Meanwhile, diver Kir R�jel finds an old box resting on the seabed. Inside are human bones. They are sixty years old, but the victim had also been garrotted.
While Peter is looking for Magnus, Detective Mark Bille Hansen is assigned to the case. He is determined to link the bones in the box with the girl in the moat - but the hunt for the truth leads both he and Peter down a path so dark, they fear they may never return.
390 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Elsebeth Egholm
28 books79 followersBestselling Danish novelist Elsebeth Egholm began her career behind the keyboards of a piano. She was a student of music as a performer at The Royal Academy of Music and at the Department of Musicology at the University of Aarhus, before she changed instrument and enrolled at the Danish School of Journalism, also based in her hometown of Aarhus. She spent a few years working for a daily newspaper, but by 1992 she was living with future husband, the late British author Philip Nicholson, in the Maltese island of Gozo, working as a freelance writer.
Eventually she began making a name for herself as the author of a string of well crafted short stories published in women's magazines in both Denmark and the other Nordic countries. Her first novel had three long time friends mourning the death of a fourth and facing a mysterious stranger. ‘The Free Women's Club' was published in 1999 to unanimous acclaim. In ‘Scirocco' (2000) and ‘Opium' (2001) she moved into the darker corners of family and marriage, and combined a fullgrown plot with an engaging dose of international suspense.
Then, in 2002, she introduced full time journalist and part time sleuth Dicte Svendsen in ‘Hidden Errors', a novel about a dead baby found in a creek in the middle of big city Aarhus. By the second and third book in the series, ‘Own Risk' (2004) and ‘Personal Damage' (2005), both author and heroine were well known and highly treasured in her homeland. ‘Next of Kin' was published in 2006, dramatically outselling the previous novels, and Elsebeth Egholm found herself published, or about to be published, in Germany, Holland, Sweden and Norway. Afterwards, in 2008, the novel 'Life and Limb' reached the bookshelves followed by 'Against All Odds' i 2009. 'Three Dog Night' was published i 2011.
Currently Elsebeth Egholm divides her time between living in Aarhus, as does Dicte Svendsen, and on the Maltese island of Gozo.
Eventually she began making a name for herself as the author of a string of well crafted short stories published in women's magazines in both Denmark and the other Nordic countries. Her first novel had three long time friends mourning the death of a fourth and facing a mysterious stranger. ‘The Free Women's Club' was published in 1999 to unanimous acclaim. In ‘Scirocco' (2000) and ‘Opium' (2001) she moved into the darker corners of family and marriage, and combined a fullgrown plot with an engaging dose of international suspense.
Then, in 2002, she introduced full time journalist and part time sleuth Dicte Svendsen in ‘Hidden Errors', a novel about a dead baby found in a creek in the middle of big city Aarhus. By the second and third book in the series, ‘Own Risk' (2004) and ‘Personal Damage' (2005), both author and heroine were well known and highly treasured in her homeland. ‘Next of Kin' was published in 2006, dramatically outselling the previous novels, and Elsebeth Egholm found herself published, or about to be published, in Germany, Holland, Sweden and Norway. Afterwards, in 2008, the novel 'Life and Limb' reached the bookshelves followed by 'Against All Odds' i 2009. 'Three Dog Night' was published i 2011.
Currently Elsebeth Egholm divides her time between living in Aarhus, as does Dicte Svendsen, and on the Maltese island of Gozo.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 4, 2015
This is actually the second book in the “Peter Boutrup” series and I have not read the first – but this was easily read as a standalone and I thought it was superb.
When a young Nun is found murdered, her story links to a violent and unknown history. Peter Boutrop, who has problems of his own, gets caught up in the tangled web and is reluctantly drawn into a world he wants no part of.
There is a high quality character arc to this tale and the backdrop is brilliantly described to give you a sense of the surroundings. Quite apart from Peter there is a small group of well drawn, intriguing and often enigmatic characters to follow along with, whose lives you will find yourself hopelessly caught up in. I adored Peter as a character, so tough on the outside but just as conflicted inside as anybody else – his reluctance to get involved followed by an inate need to find the truth is endlessly compelling.
There are some great examples of Danish crime fiction around at the moment and this is top notch – beautifully written, with a very engaging and engrossing mystery, peppered with some marvellous and easily loveable characters, I shall definitely be reading the first book and I hope that the next one is not far away.
Highly Recommended for crime fiction fans.
Happy Reading Folks!
When a young Nun is found murdered, her story links to a violent and unknown history. Peter Boutrop, who has problems of his own, gets caught up in the tangled web and is reluctantly drawn into a world he wants no part of.
There is a high quality character arc to this tale and the backdrop is brilliantly described to give you a sense of the surroundings. Quite apart from Peter there is a small group of well drawn, intriguing and often enigmatic characters to follow along with, whose lives you will find yourself hopelessly caught up in. I adored Peter as a character, so tough on the outside but just as conflicted inside as anybody else – his reluctance to get involved followed by an inate need to find the truth is endlessly compelling.
There are some great examples of Danish crime fiction around at the moment and this is top notch – beautifully written, with a very engaging and engrossing mystery, peppered with some marvellous and easily loveable characters, I shall definitely be reading the first book and I hope that the next one is not far away.
Highly Recommended for crime fiction fans.
Happy Reading Folks!
March 23, 2021
OK, but the story is not really believable and too macho for me.
January 20, 2015
My View:
"Most people get what they deserve."
Dark and intriguing.
I really enjoyed this murder/mystery with its large cast of well-developed characters; some quirky, some endearing, some vile and loathsome and some you want to know more about. Character based crime fiction provides me with one of my favourite reading experiences, I like to feel invested in the characters, to know them, to watch them grow and develop over the series and I definitely want to learn more about Peter Boutrup, Kir Røjel (a great female protagonist) and Detective Mark Bille Hansen.
This narrative is shrouded in history and authenticity, as the author states in her introductory notes “In Dead Souls I have – as in all my novels - used reality as the stage set while the plot and the cast are fictitious.” The settings /stage are wonderfully written – you get a great sense of place, atmosphere and landscape – including The Horn of Africa, a convent in Djursland, Denmark, deep deep waters and both isolated and city landscapes, such a varied palette.
Despite this being the second in the Peter Boutrup series it can easily be read as a standalone but I will be seeking out the first book, Three Dog Night as I enjoyed the characters and the complex plot.
"Most people get what they deserve."
Dark and intriguing.
I really enjoyed this murder/mystery with its large cast of well-developed characters; some quirky, some endearing, some vile and loathsome and some you want to know more about. Character based crime fiction provides me with one of my favourite reading experiences, I like to feel invested in the characters, to know them, to watch them grow and develop over the series and I definitely want to learn more about Peter Boutrup, Kir Røjel (a great female protagonist) and Detective Mark Bille Hansen.
This narrative is shrouded in history and authenticity, as the author states in her introductory notes “In Dead Souls I have – as in all my novels - used reality as the stage set while the plot and the cast are fictitious.” The settings /stage are wonderfully written – you get a great sense of place, atmosphere and landscape – including The Horn of Africa, a convent in Djursland, Denmark, deep deep waters and both isolated and city landscapes, such a varied palette.
Despite this being the second in the Peter Boutrup series it can easily be read as a standalone but I will be seeking out the first book, Three Dog Night as I enjoyed the characters and the complex plot.
December 25, 2018
It was a pleasure to get reacquainted with Peter Boutrup, Mark Bille Hansen and Kir Røjel; the central characters from the author’s previous Three Dog Night. Each flawed in their own way yet still very likeable.
Peter is the last person to see young nun Melissa alive. Her body is later found in the convent moat and she has been garotted. Meanwhile, Kir finds a box containing human bones on the seabed. Although 60 years old, it appears the victim has also been garotted. Also, Magnus, the younger brother of Peter’s late friend My has gone missing. Are events somehow linked to animal rights activists protests about a mink farm or is the solution far older and much more dangerous?
The viewpoints alternate between each of the central characters as they pursue their separate investigations. As most of the action takes place in an isolated community, virtually all the people involved know each other, although, it would appear, many have some well-kept secrets.
Once again, Elsebeth Egholm has managed to produce a highly original and gripping tale. Hopefully, there will be further novels in this series.
Peter is the last person to see young nun Melissa alive. Her body is later found in the convent moat and she has been garotted. Meanwhile, Kir finds a box containing human bones on the seabed. Although 60 years old, it appears the victim has also been garotted. Also, Magnus, the younger brother of Peter’s late friend My has gone missing. Are events somehow linked to animal rights activists protests about a mink farm or is the solution far older and much more dangerous?
The viewpoints alternate between each of the central characters as they pursue their separate investigations. As most of the action takes place in an isolated community, virtually all the people involved know each other, although, it would appear, many have some well-kept secrets.
Once again, Elsebeth Egholm has managed to produce a highly original and gripping tale. Hopefully, there will be further novels in this series.
March 11, 2016
Dead Soul's is the second in this Danish author's series- which I didn't realize until I got the book. However, it reads superbly as a stand alone and is definitely one of the better mystery/thriller novels I've read recently. The three main characters: Kir, a female elite diver, Mark, a down on his luck cancer survivor police officer and Peter, an empathetic and wounded ex-con carpenter- are all flawed, relatable individuals who become involved in solving the murder of a young woman whose garrotted body is found in a medieval church moat. The novel is rich with the threads of European history, the scars of war and its cost and in parallel, the modern underground warfare of fanaticism supporting well-intentioned if misdirected causes. The novel is a bit slow in its beginning, but its strength there is in its atmospheric setting and introduction to a motley crew of characters who interact throughout the plot. It is a rich, complex mystery and for those readers who enjoy the character driven version, like me, truly enjoyable.
September 4, 2016
I read this book thinking it would be good, but I was mistaken it was great. Several plots were going at the same time but they overlapped to make it one of the best reads so far this year for me. Peter, Kir, and Mark were all striving toward the same ending but by different methods. But you can read this so that's it. It's been around since 2013 in English and it's the second book in Elsebeth's series with Peter.
September 3, 2018
This was a little untidy and diffuse. Not as good as Three Dog Night, nor wholly convincing.
January 1, 2016
Characters I wanted to know more about. A rollicking good read. Kept me engaged all the way through, and I would definitely read another book by this author.
Although not without flaws, remains good. The characters have some depth and the mystery remained taut all the way through.
The reasons for the perpetrator doing what they did were not fully convincing, but still - it kept me guessing till the last chapter.
Although not without flaws, remains good. The characters have some depth and the mystery remained taut all the way through.
The reasons for the perpetrator doing what they did were not fully convincing, but still - it kept me guessing till the last chapter.
March 11, 2013
De døde sjæles nat er en rigtig spændende bog, den er endnu mere snørklet ind tre hundes nat.
Det er umuligt at løse gåden, før det sidste kapitel.
De døde sjæles nat er lige en tand for spændende. En rigtig god og hårrejsende krimi.
Det er umuligt at løse gåden, før det sidste kapitel.
De døde sjæles nat er lige en tand for spændende. En rigtig god og hårrejsende krimi.
April 19, 2015
Good read. Scandinavia Noir always takes me a while to get into, but by the end I really wanted to know what was going to happen. Good characters, would read her again.
December 26, 2015
Dead Souls
Four stars for this book have read more of this author's books and have enjoyed all of them good story lines
Four stars for this book have read more of this author's books and have enjoyed all of them good story lines
May 14, 2020
This is the second in this series that i've read. The other Dicte series hasn’t been translated as far as I'm aware.
There are several threads of story here but they are wound together so well its hard to see the joins. It starts with the murder of a teenager staying in a convent. There is also the matter of a box of human bones found undef the sea in a bomb crater. Peter Boutrup, Mark Bille and Kir find themselves investigating from different directions to find the answers.
Very good!
There are several threads of story here but they are wound together so well its hard to see the joins. It starts with the murder of a teenager staying in a convent. There is also the matter of a box of human bones found undef the sea in a bomb crater. Peter Boutrup, Mark Bille and Kir find themselves investigating from different directions to find the answers.
Very good!
March 22, 2023
I do like Nordic crime. Fast paced, edge of your seat, page turning.... I will have to read more of her books.
I like that this had multiple characters all heading down different avenues to the eventual same conclusion. Good short chapters that keep you interested.
I like that this had multiple characters all heading down different avenues to the eventual same conclusion. Good short chapters that keep you interested.
August 21, 2017
Plenty of action, red herrings, suspects and story lines. A good page turner. I will be looking out for more books by this author.
March 12, 2017
Bit gruesome, religious stuff and complexity slowed it down for me. Thought the disease plot was silly/made it too slow
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2014
Dead Souls is the second book in the series that features Peter Boutrup, a convicted criminal, Detective Mark Bille Hansen and diver Kir Røjel who live in Djursland, Denmark. Although this book is readable as a standalone the back-stories to these three characters made me wish I’d read the author’s first book, Three Dog Night, first.
In true Scandinavian-noir fashion, there are multiple strands to the story. Peter is having problems with a biker gang and grieving over the loss of his friend My when he is approached by her mother to track down her eighteen year old son Magnus who has disappeared. Peter is a con with a heart and is moved to help her out. Meanwhile at the convent where he works a young girl is pulled from the moat and Peter was the last person to see her alive. Mark Bille Hansen questions Peter but he has few details to tell the Detective it having been a cold dark wintry Halloween night when he saw her talking to a man dressed in black. Meanwhile Kir Røjel has been on a dive to discharge mines left over from the war when she finds a box full of bones which leads to historical investigation that may be connected with the war.
I often find Scandinavian crime quite brutal, this one is no different and it certainly wouldn’t suit the more squeamish reader but it just about treads the line of the descriptions being relevant to the story. There are a lot of characters to follow with multiple persons of interest to keep track of and ponder on their motives as the investigation widens along as the number of bodies pile up. As each of the protagonists has at least one theory for the link between the old bones and the newly murdered bodies the number of suspects grows and the author maintains the tension by allowing the protagonists to get themselves into some sticky situations.
Comparisons have been drawn by the marketing department between Elsebeth Egholm and Camilla Lackberg and Jussi Adler-Olsen; I haven’t read any of the latter and although the multiple strands particularly using a historical thread is reminiscent of Camilla Lackberg’s books there is far less of the personal lives of the protagonists or anything remotely cosy to give the reader the lighter moments which she uses for relief. As much as I enjoyed this book it was a fairly bleak read with some truly horrendous characters from the bikers to the murderer, from the mother’s of the disappeared to the leader of the investigation who had clearly suffered a sense of humour bypass. Not a book to read if you need cheering up but this has a good plot with some interesting historical detail about what happened in Denmark during the war.
I’d like to thank the publishers Headline who allowed me to read this book via bookbridgr in return for my honest opinion.
In true Scandinavian-noir fashion, there are multiple strands to the story. Peter is having problems with a biker gang and grieving over the loss of his friend My when he is approached by her mother to track down her eighteen year old son Magnus who has disappeared. Peter is a con with a heart and is moved to help her out. Meanwhile at the convent where he works a young girl is pulled from the moat and Peter was the last person to see her alive. Mark Bille Hansen questions Peter but he has few details to tell the Detective it having been a cold dark wintry Halloween night when he saw her talking to a man dressed in black. Meanwhile Kir Røjel has been on a dive to discharge mines left over from the war when she finds a box full of bones which leads to historical investigation that may be connected with the war.
I often find Scandinavian crime quite brutal, this one is no different and it certainly wouldn’t suit the more squeamish reader but it just about treads the line of the descriptions being relevant to the story. There are a lot of characters to follow with multiple persons of interest to keep track of and ponder on their motives as the investigation widens along as the number of bodies pile up. As each of the protagonists has at least one theory for the link between the old bones and the newly murdered bodies the number of suspects grows and the author maintains the tension by allowing the protagonists to get themselves into some sticky situations.
Comparisons have been drawn by the marketing department between Elsebeth Egholm and Camilla Lackberg and Jussi Adler-Olsen; I haven’t read any of the latter and although the multiple strands particularly using a historical thread is reminiscent of Camilla Lackberg’s books there is far less of the personal lives of the protagonists or anything remotely cosy to give the reader the lighter moments which she uses for relief. As much as I enjoyed this book it was a fairly bleak read with some truly horrendous characters from the bikers to the murderer, from the mother’s of the disappeared to the leader of the investigation who had clearly suffered a sense of humour bypass. Not a book to read if you need cheering up but this has a good plot with some interesting historical detail about what happened in Denmark during the war.
I’d like to thank the publishers Headline who allowed me to read this book via bookbridgr in return for my honest opinion.
August 2, 2012
er ret glad for Elsebeth Egeholms "dicte-serie" og synes at 3 hundes nat var rigtig god. Men jeg var faktisk lidt skuffet over "de døde sjæles nat". Der er total action, hele vejen, men jeg synes faktisk ikke rigtigt at personerne og plottet holder denne gang og jeg gennemskuede det desværre også lidt for tidligt. synes der er lidt for meget hellig selvtægts hævner over Peter Boutrup er ikke sikker på han er et bekendtskab jeg ønsker fortsætte
August 4, 2016
What Danes get up to when they're bored with Lego.... very nasty murders with roots that go back years, and a very frantic ending with a lot of people needing to be rescued!
country #22 Denmark
country #22 Denmark
September 28, 2013
Helt klart den bedste krimi i serien om Dicte og Peter. Spændende lige til sidste side.
March 31, 2014
Boutrup, nr. 2
April 7, 2015
Starts slow but the pace picks up halfway right to the end.
April 12, 2015
really enjoyed this book. couldn't put it down.
March 10, 2016
Loved it! Peter Boutrup is my kind of hero, I really hope there's going to be a third book in the series.
April 6, 2016
I wasn't sure to start with but once I got into this Danish mystery, I became engrossed. A range of interesting 'lead' characters and some fascinating history about Denmark as well.
October 26, 2025
Skøn læsning, men det kommer aldrig helt op at ringe for mig.
October 12, 2012
Not as good ad her earlier series with the journalist
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews